Case Study:Manor College 2016

Manor College, located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, is a two-year Catholic college offering transfer and career oriented programs to traditional and post-traditional students. Manor College has a long and outstanding reputation in Veterinary Technology, Dental Hygiene, and Nursing programs. Although these programs are in demand, the College experienced a period of flat enrollments due to the limited lab facilities and enrollment caps on these popular programs.

In the spring of 2010, Paskill Stapleton & Lord was selected to conduct a comprehensive brand & image study to understand how audiences perceived Manor College and its place in the competitive Philadelphia market. The market research consisted of on-campus focus groups and interviews as well as five internal and external audience surveys.

Historically Manor College viewed its position in the market as competition to 4-year schools in Pennsylvania. However, the research showed that Manor College could not successfully compete with these 4-year schools. Neither Manor’s reputation, resources or facilities were up to the task even though it was less expensive than many of these schools.

Based on the data generated from the research, Paskill Stapleton & Lord recommended that the College reposition itself to directly compete with the community colleges in the area and not the 4-year residential institutions. The focus of the marketing & messaging should be on how the Manor College experience enables a student to be academically and socially prepared to transfer to a bachelor’s degree program or gain the technical & academic skills to enter the workforce. Paskill Stapleton & Lord also recommended that Manor College develop and strengthen partnerships with the regions 4-year institutions

The final report included the development of a marketing plan to guide the College through the repositioning phase. The marketing plan had a branding and imaging component as well as tactical components to impact overall enrollment growth.

After the initial market research study was completed, Manor College retained Paskill Stapleton & Lord to redesign the College website to reflect the renewed image, brand, and market position.

Currently, Paskill Stapleton & Lord serves as agency of record Manor College’s advertising plan that includes new and traditional media.

Robert Oxman,

Bob is the Creative Services Team Leader with more than 18 years experience of delivering creative solutions in higher education marketing. Works mostly in print publications, video production, and advertising (print, radio, and broadcast). Most people call him Bob, but he responds to other terms of endearment.